Randwelt
RANDWELT ‘What separates us from you? What makes us worthy to lead you? Honour, nobility and chivalry - the merest tip of our virtues.’ Nickname: The Knights Languages: Randwelt, Creole Population: Säuger 75%, Eluvian 15% and Drummon: 10% Government: Feudal structure, monarchy Leadership: Ducal House in service to King Aldrac of Ruess Lifestyle: Industrious, semi-feudal. Noble landowners overseeing employed peasants, merchants, etc. SOCIETY Built on a history of serfdom, Randwelt has had considerable influence on the history of Dantir, although its ways have become far less strict as the Guilds and other outside notions took root. While any individual is not considered property, they are usually bound by oaths to serve a particular lord in return for his protection. The idea of loyalty to each other is here believed to be the key to a stable community. It is the reason that Randwelt has stood its ground against storm and famine, barbarian invasions, plague and all-out war. Each citizen of Randwelt knows his place, knows to whom he owes his loyalty and the responsibility this brings. Every craftsman, farmer, merchant or laborer swears his loyalty to one of the noble houses of Randwelt, the ancient bloodlines that have lead for time immemorial. In return these houses ensure that every person has shelter, food and work suited to his needs, and oversees the safety and prosperity of their communities. Each house has its Barons, who serve the Earls who in turn serve their houses’ Duke. The nine Dukes are ultimately responsible for everything that occurs in their duchies, and each owe their loyalty to the King. Each dynasty is chosen from the Dukes when needed, and the King sees to matters of national importance, including sustaining of armed forces for defense, upkeep of the portal-stone network for transport and trade and the distribution of taxes to infrastructure, as well as maintaining their own duchy. This system of fealty saw Randwelt rise to lead the allied nations in the troubled times, and allowed the first High King to maintain influence not only for his own lifetime but to hand on his power to his heirs. Although the system is old it has been maintained throughout the changes brought by the teachings of the Eluvians and establishment of the Guilds and has in fact seen Randwelt become the most multicultural of the Sauger nations. Of course not everyone sees fit to swear fealty to a lord or noble family - such as merchants, travelling craftsmen or 42 members of the Orders. Those who have not sworn any particular oaths are still expected to abide by local laws where ever they go, pay the local taxes where they reside and behave as any good citizen. But should these people fall afoul of the law, of poverty or calamity, they cannot expect to be supported or cared for as any oath-bound citizen. The nine noble houses of Randwelt have each held the throne for at least one dynastic cycle throughout the nation’s long history, and the occasional squabbles for power amongst them have caused only serious conflicts in the land. Each house maintains its own armed forces, drawn most often from Armsman Guild members, and tithes men to the Kings forces as required. These armsmen act as police locally, with those of noble heritage expected to act as magistrates where needed. Each house is expected to raise an income from its land and people, paying taxes to the King and using the rest for the benefit of its oath-bound people. Each man is either directly employed by the house in his chosen profession (such as farmers and armsmen) or must pay tax on the income they earn (such as merchants, artisans or mages). Having had little conflict with neighbors old and new, Randwelt embraced the changes brought by both the Eluvians and Drummon, and the extended trade allowed by the introduction of the Portal stone network. It has allowed them to become exporters of many raw goods, including grain, lumber and various metals mined from its mountains. The Guilds all have strong houses established in many of the major cities, meaning citizens of Randwelt rarely have to travel far to find training. This has provided a little more freedom to choose the role one would like, and increased the mobility of the population, in spite of their oaths. The support offered by the feudal system has also made the pursuit of personal wealth less enticing than some foreigners may believe. The more one earns the more one will be expected to tithe, and although there are many wealthy merchants and artisans, gold and the power it brings is not central to the lives of most sedentary Randwelt citizens. The noble Houses do live in relative luxury, and anyone leaving their Lords’ land and protection may have to struggle to keep themselves in whatever manner they are used to, but any outsider is welcome to swear oaths to any House to receive the same protection as any local born Sauger. Even a Drummon or Eluvian may take a place where they see fit, and over the centuries several of these families have sworn themselves to various houses. Several marriages over the years have included Eluvian and Drummon blood into few of the major houses but it most houses do like to advertise this fact, as their claim to power lies only in their Sauger heritage. Those trained in the use of magic are welcome in the service of any house, especially those willing to craft special items or assist in the running of the Portal stone network. As a result of all this, Randwelt citizens are usually open-minded, responsible and caring people, ready to help a neighbour in need and respectful of authority. Those of noble blood may feel entitled to respect from any peasant or foreigner, but they also know the responsibility they have to protect those lesser than themselves. Honesty, respect, responsibility and loyalty are expected of the citizens, and most especially of members of the nobility. LAW There is a code of laws that all citizens (and visitors) of Randwelt are expected to follow. An extensive description of each law and its implications is available within each of the noble houses, who’s Dukes are expected to ensure that their oathbound abide by it. Each house also adds its own addendums, local rules and guidelines, as do subsequent Earls and Barons. It is a very rare citizen that has actually read this codex, given its exhaustive and complex nature, but all children are taught the basics needed to avoid trouble. Essentially one is expected to behave civilly, and to respect ones betters. One shall not steal, commit violence or fraud. There are many details about what constitutes forgery, what types of 43 punishments shall be exacted depending on the type severity of each infraction and what shall and shall not be considered to be tax fraud or failure to tithe. Capital punishment is usually reserved only for the most serious crimes such as murder, with imprisonment and fines being used for more common offences. Sometimes a local code may call for public punishments such as use of a stockade or parading to humiliate an offender amongst their own community but this is not a part of the national codex. Other punishments such as banishment from a particular duchy, dismissal of service (removing all protections) or even the requirement of service for life might also be used locally as punishments for various crimes. Nobility and commoners alike are bound by the same laws, though as the nobility most often act as magistrates it is not uncommon for them to be seen as benefitting from light sentencing. But nobles can also suffer from dismissal from their family, denying them the rights and luxuries that come with rank, or the stripping of responsibilities and offices that have been used to commit said crimes. Some may even have duties imposed as punishment rather than removed, all at the whim of the magistrate hearing the case. Sentences can be appealed, with requests for hearings being sent up to the next level of authority, provided the accused is willing to endure extended periods of incarceration whilst waiting for their Dukes or even the King to have time to hear from them. The Armsmen sworn to each particular house act as enforcement officers and prison guards as well as sheriffs in smaller settlements. This is again at the discretion of the local nobles, so that the enforcement of laws and punishments is not consistent across Randwelt, and has been the source of tension within particular regions over the years. EDUCATION AND TRAINING The Guilds are thoroughly established across all of Randwelt, and are responsible for most formal training. While children may be raised learning the general skills of their parent profession alongside their letters and numbers, most youths choose to take on further education by joining a Guild. Most often the person will remain in the area of their birth, once trained taking up a position working for the house of their family. Some may travel elsewhere and swear oaths to a new house where they can find employment, though some (such as Dedicated and Artisans) may choose to remain unbound and travel where their work or whim takes. TRADE AND INDUSTRY Randwelt produces a plethora of goods, both raw products and refined crafts. The large farms run by the noble houses provide more than enough food to supply both its own citizens and trade to neighbors. Industry varies with the landscape, with some towns supported by the collection of raw goods such as ore, wood or fish, and others centered on craft houses producing linens, fine ceramic goods or metalwork. Most of the ducal houses endeavor to create a variety of industries in their lands to help allay the possibility of disaster amongst one craft or another. Export of finer goods takes place via the Portal Stone network, while larger shipments are sent by ship or caravan to its several neighbors. RELIGION Members of the Orders are welcome wherever they might wish to travel, with Houses of one type or another found in all cities and towns. The people of Randwelt might not be considered the most spiritual folk, but all at least respect the benefits offered by a little piety, and are generally welcoming to any Dedicated. 44 NAMES AND LANGUAGE Commoners will generally be known by a given name, and may also be called by a family name inherited from their father. Some may also choose to identify either their place of origin or the house to which they are sworn in place of their family name or even in addition to it where their other names may be too common to easily mark them out. Others may identify with their profession instead of their family name, such as ‘the smith’, ‘the bowyer’, ‘the thatcher’ etc. Nobles will always claim the house of their bloodline, unless for some reason they have been banished from it. Example names (male): Adam, , Anslem, Betram, Cristof, Driske, Gawin, Helwig, Sander Example names (female): Sanne, Phye, Lucy, Katherina, Heile, Enede, Amalie, Aleyd Example names (family): Aigels, Bendel, Dener, Herolt, Hurnyn, Mertten, Salber, Stein, Wysen The nine Ducal House names: Acaria, Buron, Dessel, Grimoldi, Hasse, Layan, Reuss, Selms, Urach DRESS Practicality rules amongst the common folk, whose dress will vary depending on the needs of their profession. Most people are conservative, reserving excess of finery and jewelry for special occasions. Some artisans and merchants may be more flamboyant in material and colour choice to show off their own creations or the goods they sell. The nobility will generally maintain finery where they can, to ensure they are distinguished easily from their common lessers. However some houses might find this difficult when their tithing has been thin, with the noblemen of some areas living in circumstances no different than a wealthy merchant or crafter elsewhere. HISTORY Once a great empire that stretched across the center of Dantir, Randwelt was significantly impacted by the Red Sky and the troubles that came after. It now holds barely a third of its former territory, and it lost many of its noble houses in the wars with the Eluvian and Drummon. Its tradition of ducal rule stretches far back beyond this, with each family keeping meticulous records of their heritage. The throne has passed back and forth between the remaining houses several times over the last thousand years, sometimes by internal coup, open rebellion or mischance. Most houses have held the throne for at least several generations, with the current line being that of Reuss. House Reuss took the throne from the House of Grimoldi when Wiland Grimoldi proved to be unable to manage the arrangement of tithing within his own lands. Over tithing by the Grimoldi family to support the extravagance of Wiland drained their own lands leaving them vulnerable when flooding destroyed most of their cropland. Proven unable to manage their own affairs let alone the state, the Dukes refused to swear to Wiland’s son Steffan when he came to inherit. Instead they chose from their number a seemingly more reliable candidate, Duke Martan of Reuss. With the Reuss not having lead for centuries the Dukes believed him to be more openminded and easily influenced, without having been raised with the expectation of power. For a few years Martan lead Randwelt, slowly recovering from the disasters inflicted by his predecessors. At the recent election of the new High King, Martan attended the summit alongside leaders from every nation, and unexpectedly was chosen to become the new High King, as an option to break a stalemate between two other candidates. 45 This has created some difficulty in the last few years. As High King Martan is not meant to have any role in sovereign politics of any nation, and so had to secede his role to another of his blood. His children now being potential heirs to the throne of the High King they too were not able to take the throne of Randwelt. Instead of returning the choice to the ducal council, Martan asked his uncle Aldrac, the new Duke of Reuss to take the throne, maintaining their house control of the throne. This has not been a popular decision amongst the Dukes, for several reasons. Firstly the Dukes gave the throne to Martan himself believing in the capabilities of the person, not the house. Secondly, given that the throne was not inherited in any traditional fashion that Martan had no right to name his uncle to the position, and thus the council should have been asked to decide amongst themselves. And finally because since taking on the position Aldrac has been steadily increasing his requests for tithes of armsmen and goods from the Dukes, echoing the pressure placed on lands before the floods of a decade ago. But short of open rebellion the Dukes are oathbound to support their king. ENVIRONMENT Randwelt holds much arable land, and is highly productive in both food and raw goods. Stretching across the southern edge of the continent it has a varied but generally temperate climate. It encompasses some mountain ranges as well as extensive forests and planes. Rivers are used as often as roads for transporting of large goods, and occasionally ships across its extensive coastline. How others see the Randwelt people: Avantine – Their code of chivalry is but a mask for their true intentions - total dominance over all. No difference from us really. Eluvian – They believe in the power of the high king and their honour keeps them bound to the throne. A double edged sword to be sure. Drummon – An ordered society yes, but all their pomp and ceremony in pointless when there is work to be done. Toraneya – Their honour does them credit but they are still not above the petty concerns of the world around them Jorgenwyld – The first over-king showed strength comparable to us. I wonder if they still have that strength… or is change in the air? Septoria – Trust in their chivalry? Huh! They can be as greedy as the rest of us. Ekhai Lāhui – They see us as pawns in a game. What they don't see is that they are in a game of their own. Kenaan – It is easy to talk of honour and chivalry when your lads are fertile and lush. Let them live with my hardships and see how long before they lose their way. Category:Nations Category:Randwelt